[McCain] told local reporters in a hurricane strike zone that he did not support national catastrophe insurance-a position certain to rankle some Floridians and, perhaps, draw fire from his opponents, namely Giuliani.

“I believe that this nation and federal government has an obligation to help out in any tragedy or natural disaster,” McCain said during a round-table. “Very badly, we need to fix our ability to bring relief, help and assistance, both short term and long term, to the victims of disaster.”

While he said he supports state efforts, McCain said: “I do not support a national catastrophic insurance policy. That insurance policy is there, and it’s called FEMA, and it’s called disaster preparedness and it’s called addressing disasters.”